HOW TO HIRE · GARDEN & OUTDOOR

How to hire a garden clearance firm in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

A garden clearance firm must be a registered waste carrier, and checking is your duty. Check the number, the nests and any old shed roof.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a garden clearance firm in five steps

  1. Check the waste carrier numberBefore booking, on the public register for your nation.
  2. Walk the garden with themWhat goes, what stays, and anything heavy or hazardous.
  3. Ask about nestsOvergrown hedges and shrubs often hold active nests in spring and summer.
  4. Ask about the old shedCorrugated cement roof sheets may contain asbestos.
  5. Agree the rate and the list in writingThe rate per hour, the minimum booking, and what is cleared, with disposal and where it goes.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

Waste carrier registration

A garden clearance firm is carrying your waste, so it must be on the register for its nation — the Environment Agency (England), Natural Resources Wales, SEPA (Scotland) or DAERA (Northern Ireland). English upper-tier numbers begin CBDU and are renewed every three years.

Check the number on the public register and that the name on it matches the business. environment.data.gov.uk →

Your duty of care

Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires a householder in England or Wales to take reasonable steps to give waste only to an authorised person; Scotland has its own version. In England a council can issue a fixed penalty of £150 to £600 to a householder who fails it — even if it was the garden clearance firm who dumped it.

Keep a photo of the carrier registration, the vehicle registration and a receipt with the business's details. legislation.gov.uk →

Nesting birds

Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 in Northern Ireland) damaging or destroying a wild bird's nest in use or being built is an offence, and overgrown gardens are full of them in spring and summer.

Ask the garden clearance firm to check hedges and shrubs before cutting. legislation.gov.uk →

Asbestos in old sheds

HSE says material containing asbestos must be disposed of as hazardous waste and never mixed with general waste.

If there is an old shed or garage roof of cement sheet, ask how they will deal with it. hse.gov.uk →

VAT

Garden clearance is standard-rated, so VAT is 20% only from a registered trader. A clearance worker on their own whose turnover stays under £90,000 does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Ask whether they are VAT-registered before the clearance; if not, the hourly rate and tip fees are the whole bill. gov.uk →

“What is your waste carrier number?”

A good answer: A number you can check that matches the garden clearance firm's name.

“Where will the garden waste go?”

A good answer: A green waste site or transfer station, named.

“How many hours will the garden clearance take?”

A good answer: An honest estimate in hours after seeing it, set against the minimum booking, and what would add time.

“Will you check for nesting birds?”

A good answer: Yes, and they leave an active nest alone.

“How will you deal with the old shed roof?”

A good answer: A plan for possible asbestos, not a sledgehammer.

“Will you take soil and rubble too?”

A good answer: Only if it is on the agreed list; the tip charge by weight or load is added to the hours.

“Will you leave it ready for a gardener?”

A good answer: Cleared to ground level, raked, paths swept.

Getting the quote right

  • The rate per hour for the clearance, and any extra for an evening or weekend
  • The minimum booking, and whether you pay the full minimum if the garden is cleared early
  • Who brings the tools, sacks and van, and what you leave out for them
  • What is to be cleared, walked round and listed before the first hour
  • Disposal and the waste carrier number, with soil, rubble or hazardous items priced on their own
  • ID checked, the rating, and public liability insurance in case a fence or window is hit
  • Who actually attends — the garden clearance firm you spoke to, or someone the company employs or subcontracts
  • The VAT number if the business is registered, with VAT at 20% on its own line; one under the £90,000 threshold charges none

Walk away if

  • No waste carrier number
  • A cheap cash price and no receipt
  • Old cement sheets smashed up with the rest
  • A bonfire offered instead of disposal
  • They cannot say where the waste goes
LOW
£150
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£600

What a garden clearance firm costs: £150–£600 per job

The figures are what a typical garden clearance comes to in total; booked by the hour, the volume of waste, soil or rubble and the access set how many hours it takes, with the tip charge on top. Garden Clearance price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Garden clearance firms near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. Walk round and listGarden walked, the jobs listed, hours estimated, hazards noted.
  2. Check for nestsHedges and shrubs checked before cutting.
  3. Cut and clearGrowth cut back, rubbish gathered.
  4. Load and removeWaste loaded for a registered carrier to a licensed site.
  5. TidyGround raked, paths swept, receipt given.

Green waste
Branches, grass, leaves and plants.
Waste carrier number
The registration needed to carry waste for others.
Duty of care
Your legal duty to hand waste only to an authorised person.
Transfer station
A licensed site where waste is sorted.
Asbestos cement
Old sheeting that may contain asbestos.
Fly-tipping
Illegal dumping of waste.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the receipt and carrier numberYour evidence that you met your duty of care.
Walk the gardenEverything listed gone, nothing you wanted kept removed.
Plan what nextTurf, planting or a regular gardener.
Write the reviewYour review is what the next customer reads before booking this garden clearance firm. If there is something to fix, use the make-it-right step before you post it.

STEP 1Write to them firstSend the garden clearance firm a message naming the problem with the clearance and the fix you want. If the work lacked reasonable care and skill (Consumer Rights Act 2015), you may ask for it to be done again or for a price cut.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right step on LocufyRate the garden clearance firm under four stars and you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then review.
STEP 3Fly-tipping or an unregistered carrierIf waste the garden clearance firm took turns up dumped, report it to the council and the regulator — the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA or DAERA — with your receipt and their number. Trading Standards is reached through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline (0808 223 1133) in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) and Consumerline (0300 123 6262) in Northern Ireland.
STEP 4The court, if it comes to thatAn unpaid refund from the garden clearance firm can be claimed for up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland and £5,000 in Northern Ireland, with no lawyer needed.

Hiring a garden clearance firm: questions people ask

It needs to be a registered waste carrier: with the Environment Agency in England, Natural Resources Wales, SEPA in Scotland or DAERA in Northern Ireland. Check the number on the public register before booking.

You have a legal duty of care to give waste only to an authorised person. In England a council can fine a householder £150 to £600 for failing it, so check the garden clearance firm's number and keep the receipt.

Between £150 and £600 a job; about £300 is typical. Read the garden clearance price guide for the detail, and search your area above for local prices.

Ask the council about local rules; disposal through a registered carrier avoids smoke complaints.

Yes, but active nests must be left; autumn and winter are easiest.

In England and Wales a householder does not need one for household waste; the receipt and carrier number are your record. In Northern Ireland DAERA advises asking for one, and a business must complete one for each load.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in garden & outdoor

How to hire: GardeningHow to hire: Garden MaintenanceHow to hire: Hedge RemovalHow to hire: Tree SurgeryHow to hire: Stump GrindingHow to hire: TurfingHow to hire: LandscapingHow to hire: Leaf ClearingAll 701 hiring guides →

Garden clearance firms near you

Garden clearance firms in LondonGarden clearance firms in ManchesterGarden clearance firms in BirminghamGarden clearance firms in GlasgowGarden clearance firms in BelfastAll garden clearance firms on Locufy →Do it yourself: clearing an overgrown garden →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England)
  2. Environment Agency — public register of waste carriers
  3. Natural Resources Wales — register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer
  4. SEPA — waste carriers and brokers
  5. DAERA — registration of carriers and brokers
  6. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34 — duty of care
  7. Environmental Protection Act 1990, section 34ZA — householder fixed penalties (England)
  8. gov.scot — Duty of Care code of practice for managing controlled waste (2026): householders
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — what you can ask for when a service falls short
  10. Civil Procedure Rules Part 26 — the small claims track (England and Wales)
  11. nidirect — the small claims process (Northern Ireland)
  12. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, section 1 — protection of wild birds, their nests and eggs
  13. HSE — asbestos: frequently asked questions
  14. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  15. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register